Vermaelen 'proud' to skipper Arsenal
by Clyde Tlou 17 August 2012, 22:40
Thomas Vermaelen says he is proud to be honoured by Arsenal after the London club named him as captain, taking over the armband from Robin van Persie who crossed the floor over to rivals Manchester United.
Speaking to the club website, the Belgian defender expressed his delight to be starting a new chapter in his career with the Gunners
"It makes me really happy and proud to be Arsenal captain - it's a real honour. I won't change the way I am, though. The boss makes you captain because of the way you are, so I won’t change how I am in the dressing room or outside. I want to lead by example, and do as well as I can on the pitch,” he told arsenal.com.
Vermaelen, who skippered previous club Ajax as well as the Belgian national team on occasion, said he enjoys the responsibility of captaincy, and paid tribute to his predecessor.
"Every captain is different, everyone has his own personality and does it in his own way. Maybe I am not much of a talker away from the pitch, but I want to lead the team through the way I play.”
“Robin did it really well last year, and of course what he did on the pitch was great as well. But away from that he did a lot of team building, making sure the team was a real team, and I want to do things like that as well," he added.
The tough as teak defender will begin his duties as skipper on Saturday when the Gunners host Sunderland at the Emirates Stadium.
